Malacki Byrne

Malacki Byrne (died 1919) was brigade commander of the South Armagh IRA during the Anglo-Irish War. He was killed by the Peaky Blinders leader Tommy Shelby in 1919.

Biography
Malacki Byrne was born in southern County Armagh, Ireland, the cousin of Charles Ryan. He became a man of influence in South Armagh and a leader of the Irish Republican Army during its war against the British Empire, and, in 1919, he was sent to London to raise money from the Irish diaspora community to fund the struggle. That same year, he visited The Garrison Pub in Birmingham to speak with Peaky Blinders boss Tommy Shelby, as he believed that he was responsible for his cousin's murder. He revealed to him that his associate Daniel Owen, while drunk, revealed that the Peaky Blinders had stolen a shipment of guns from the BSA Factory; Shelby denied this, but Byrne informed Shelby that his sources at the factory and in the police confirmed Owen's report. He then told Shelby that he found him guilty of his cousin's death, and that he would pass verdict. Shelby told him that he would meet him that night with the guns if the price was right.

Death
At midnight, Shelby and Keith Maguire headed to The Garrison, where they planned to kill Shelby after finding the location of the guns. They both refused drinks, and, after Shelby gave them the map with the location of the guns, they drew their own guns and sarcastically asked Shelby if he thought that they would spare him. Shelby then rose a glass and toasted to barmaids, and the barmaid Grace Burgess then came out of the back room and shot Maguire dead in his seat. Shelby then lunged at Byrne, and the two struggled on the floor, with Byrne attempting to choke Shelby to death. However, Shelby repeatedly elbowed him in the crotch, regaining the upper hand, and he then used a bucket to smash in Byrne's head until he was dead.